Brilliant Bell leads charge with 88 as England look set to take series after thumping South Africa at Lord's

Jonathan Trott has to drag himself from the crease even at lunch and tea so there was no way he would let the small matter of a suspected broken hand stop him from helping to cement England’s place at the top of the world one-day rankings.

The man who loves to bat on and on was perfect for the job in hand after England had again lost Alastair Cook cheaply in pursuit of the victory that confirms their No 1 ranking whatever the result at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

Trott did not disappoint. Even a nasty blow on the right glove from Dale Steyn at his most hostile could stop him joining Ian Bell in guiding England calmly towards their target of 221 to guarantee them at least a share of this series.

Whack! Ian Bell was in remarkable form at the Oval

Something to cheer: Dale Steyn celebrated the wicket of Alastair Cook

ENGLAND V SOUTH AFRICA

Bell chose the day after team director Andy Flower took the first step to welcoming Kevin Pietersen back into the England fold to remind the errant star he will not give up his place at the top of the one-day order lightly.

Flower met Pietersen on Saturday and will report back to Hugh Morris, managing director of England cricket, on Monday before giving the green light to talks with new captain Cook this week. There is a way to go before England can even contemplate selecting Pietersen for their winter Tests in India but it is a start.

A slow start to the reply is what Bell and Trott gave England here at Lord’s, but as South Africa had again under-achieved with the bat they had no need to rush in this fourth NatWest one-day international.

It looked as though Trott would have to retire hurt when Steyn, hitting 90 miles per hour, forced one through his good friend’s defences and on to his glove but Trott is made of stern stuff. He gulped down a couple of painkillers, winced through a few virtually one-handed shots and joined Bell in a partnership of 141.

Off you go: Dean Elgar celebrated the dismissal of Jonathan Trott by lbw

It was just the tonic England needed after the loss of the Test series and captain Andrew Strauss. After this emphatic six-wicket victory, they should remain top of the one-day world until at least the new year.

Trott, who will have an X-ray on Monday, fell two runs short of his half-century to a reviewed lbw off Dean Elgar originally turned down by Simon Taufel. But Bell, given another one-day chance this season when Pietersen retired from limited-overs cricket, marched on.

Bell had finally shown he could convert his natural gifts to the one-day stage with a century against West Indies on his return this summer and he added 88 before becoming bogged down and falling to Steyn.

South Africa made an impressive start to this series but it is clear that, if you get beyond the big guns of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and AB De Villiers, there is a lack of depth to their one-day side, if not their Test one.

England did their best to keep the biggest South African gun of all, Amla, at the crease when they dropped him yet again, James Tredwell the culprit at slip this time when the run machine had scored just four.

Spectator sport: Cook (right) was bowled out for just two runs

Get in! James Tredwell bowled South Africa captain AB de Villiers

Tredwell erred again in this summer of inexplicably poor England fielding when he reprieved Smith but Graeme Swann’s stand-in displayed his character in putting those lapses behind him to play a leading role with the ball.

Ravi Bopara bowled Amla with a beauty and forced Faf du Plessis to chop on, celebrating both with an old-fashioned handshake. But Tredwell did the bulk of the damage with three wickets, all of them enlisting the help of Craig Kieswetter, who became the first England keeper to make three stumpings in a one-day international.

Cook’s lean spell going back to the first Test continued when England batted, while Bopara’s repeated misfortunes with the willow are in contrast to his increasing importance with the ball. Trott’s probable absence should mean Jonny Bairstow gets his chance at Trent Bridge without the Essex man being dropped but Bopara could do with some runs in that game.

On the day it did not matter, Eoin Morgan and Kieswetter hurrying England home with 20 balls to spare in another one-sided match which did little for 50-over cricket. England will not worry about that. They were professional and, more importantly, dominant.